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Illinois Public Media

AFSCME Asks Appellate Court To Bring Rauner Back To Negotiating Table

AFSCME members picket outside a state building in this 2016 file photo.

Amanda Vinicky/NPR Illinois

The latest skirmish between Gov. Bruce Rauner and the AFSCME labor union took place in a Springfield courtroom Wednesday. This time it was before a panel of the Fourth District Appellate Court.

It’s been just about three years since AFSCME workers were due for a new contract. But Gov. Rauner made tough demands — like a new pay structure, more expensive health insurance, and more power to outsource jobs.

AFSCME says it was willing to keep negotiating, but the Rauner administration convinced a state labor board that the two sides were at an impasse, and that’s what they’re fighting out now.